MAQAM OF THE WEEK: SIGAH והיה כי תבוא

For Shabbat
Ki Tabo (Deuteronomy
26:1- 29:8), prayers are conducted in Maqam SIGAH (or Maqam IRAQ),
according to most Aleppo sources. The reading opens with the pilgrimage
(hag)
to present the first fruits (bikurim). Since
this pilgrimage is done on the three festivals,'SIGAH', a word that
means 'third,' is applied here. This maqam is well-known to most as the
melody applied for Syrian Torah chantings. HAZZANUT: Semehim: Adon
Yahid Yasad (SIGAH, page 67); melody used in the Selihot. Dissenting
views: Maqam SABA or NAWAH. Sephardic
Pizmonim Project, www.pizmonim.com.